Come Winter Time
by Trixter82
Summary: Robin and Marian get into trouble on a ride through a blistering cold Sherwood Forest. RM. Smuff in part 2.
1. A wolf's tale

**Hey,**

**So basically this is an attempt to write a Christmas fic.Pairing R/M.  
**

**Part one is T-rated, part 2 is pure smut/smuff and thus M-rated.**

**Enjoy. **

* * *

COME WINTER TIME

Part 1: A wolf's tale

_Come cruel winter time  
There will be diamonds in the snow  
Divine in pallid silence  
Deadly pale the moon will glow_

_Come precious Christmastide  
Where there are hearts there will be heat  
Divine in flaming silence  
Beat by beat where lovers meet_

In the blistering winter night there was a wolf stalking through Sherwood Forest. His back was hunched and bony like a mountain range and the fur a matted rug of gray, ragged turfs randomly broken by pallid scars. For every battle ever won in his life there was a white line cut into his flesh, and in his youth he had worn them like golden trophies on a shelf. This wolf had lived a good life, lengthy and prosperous in the eyes of a predator. The big paws that sunk down into the deep white snow had once been the first of many, leaving behind them a trail of dozens of menacing footprints as sure as the tail follows the head. When he howled there had been an echo of howls like a choir to the lead singer, and he had been the first to eat and the last to sleep. That was the life of the alpha-male; the undefeated leader of the pack who lived to rule, who ruled to mate and defend his turf when his off-spring came of age and challenged him. His crown had been the yellow teeth in his jaw and until this autumn they had never failed him. Until this autumn every white scar cutting trough his fur like a gorge had been a trophy. Until this autumn he had been on top of the world as he knew it.

But there comes a time when age defeats even the unbeatable, and for the ragged wolf this autumn had been his downfall. There was a gash on his thigh that was too fresh to have blanched, still blushing and slightly irritated, and he walked through the winter landscape with a limp. Once an alpha-male falls from grace he has to leave with his tail between his legs, cast out from the flock and left to die in loneliness and shame. Indeed the world of a wolf holds no mercy for the weak, but rather praises strength, youth and vigour as the very essence of life.

There was a veil of tiny snow flakes in the crisp air this night, not falling but dancing around the wolf in the chilled breeze. The dark blue sky was freckled by shimmering stars and the velvety light from a yellow moon beamed softly and made bluish shades appear in the snow. The trees stood naked and mute, dressed only in ice crystals and sparse greyish bark, forming sombre pillars for a roofless palace. A winter night is always hushed and slightly drowsy and the deadly thick quilt covering the forest soil was striped by motionless shadows like the bars of a prison. In this white death the lone wolf stalked and searched for food, his every sense heightened by the sheer strength of his hunger and desperation. There was a whiff in the breeze of something moving trough the forest, the scent fleshy and raw in a way that cast a spell over the starving animal.

The wolf moved faster towards the scent, painting a picture with his nose long before the source came into plain view. It was a group of animals, a strange little flock with smells that were easy to track but hard to place. Deer perhaps? He quickened his pace, a gray figure bobbing up and down as he moved through the deep snow with hobbling leaps. Not deer. Horse? The wolf stopped and raised his nose to the scent, inhaled sharply and felt his stomach growl. Yes. Horse. Then there was a moment of overwhelming disappointment in the animal as it became clear exactly what it was he smelled. Horse. Humans. Two humans. His jaws watered and he gave out a self-pitying whimper. They smelled so good and he was so immensely hungry, yet as food went humans and horses wasn't suitable for a lone wolf.

The wolf took a few more hobbling leaps towards the group, vainly hoping his nose had been deceived by the numbing cold. Finally the retinue came into view between the trees and the wolf hesitated. He hadn't eaten for days and it didn't seem plausible that such an old worn-out animal would live trough the cruel winter, but the sight and smell of flesh gave him a courage born out of despair. It was only one horse, and on his back two humans entwined to a single shadow, their voices raising and sinking like courting birds in the spring. The wolf felt his heart fasten and his bony body trembled in anticipation. In this cold winter night the white death was everywhere, food scarce in the unfriendly environment, yet the will to live is the most primal of all emotions. He growled in a wolf's version of a deep sigh, stretched the menacing claws and arched his spine towards the endless sky.

It was worth a try.

---

There were puffs of smoke for every breath they drew, a trembling fog that dispersed into the night. Robin had insisted that Marian sat in front of him on the horse and used the situation to savour her closeness, his thighs to her thighs, his chest to her back, his chin resting against her shoulder as he cradled her. He had his arms tucked in under hers, and her breasts pressed against them with that alluring female softness that keeps young men in such a state of blissful charm. Even the hands that held the reins were covered with his bigger ones, calloused thumbs sticking out from the mittens and gently grazing her wrists under the riding gloves.

Robin grinned and blew a puff of hot air over Marian's ear to watch her squirm and smile, and she responded by tugging out one of her hands to pull him closer until his lips rested on the crook of her neck. It left him slightly dazed, her skin cool against his lips and the brown hair smelling strongly of smoke from a warm fire place. There was no reason to rush this trip through the serene winter night, since the destination was an abandoned forest lodge where nothing awaited them but sleep. Robin tilted his head and watched Marian's chest heave in hastening breaths and even though the hour was late sleep was very far from his mind.

"How far?" Marian's mumbled voice forced Robin's brain to reluctantly return from its temporary leisure.

"Hm?" he responded dumbly.

"You do know where we are going don't you?"

"Yes!"

"Robin…"

"I do! Marian, trust me…" Robin scanned the surroundings. This was the right way but they still had quite a bit left to travel, and it annoyed him that Marian seemed so eager to end this precious moment. She could be such a hopeless spoilsport at times, yet that never changed the fact that she was his favourite playmate. He grinned mischievously and painted a trail of light kisses along her jaw line, feeling his heart fasten considerably as he felt her body respond to the touch. "One might think you did not like this," he mumbled and she stifled a laugher.

"Well," she smiled, "perhaps I would just prefer to…" Then Marian's voice was cut off by a surprised yelp and in one swift blow the world was turned upside down.

When a disaster hits instantly and unexpectedly it shatters reality into a chaotic mosaic of random impressions. Robin could see a flash of the endless, star-freckled heaven, the horse neighed in wild panic and then it was disrupted by a thud as he hit the ground and a mass of twirling cold snow instantly enveloped him. He felt woozy and confused, reached out to feel the warm, struggling body he knew must be Marian in his arms and instinctively pulled her closer.

"Robin," she gasped. "Let me go, the wolf there is a wolf…" She squirmed in his arms, a chaotic mess of limbs and cloth that got stuck as they gestured wildly to find balance. The notion of a wolf had made its way into Robin's head and he had fought himself up to his knees while reaching for a big bough hidden under the snow. He grabbed Marian's arm and pulled her up in the same moment that he saw a flash ragged grey fur and menacing yellow teeth making a leap towards them. It moved too fast for him to swing the heavy branch so instead he twisted his body and lifted his arm to shield himself and Marian against the crazed animal. The wolf hit down hard over him, the teeth sinking into his shoulder as he disappeared down into the snow and felt Marian crawl away and rip the bough from beneath him. With his shoulder throbbing in pain he curled up, grabbed around the wound and awaited the next attack. But instead there was a thud and the pitiful whining yelps of a wounded dog, the weight shifted over him and someone reached down to pull him up.

"Robin!" Marian gasped, brushing the snow from his dishevelled clothes in violent, panicking stokes.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Robin moaned a little when Marian accidentally bumped into his shoulder. "You?" he asked and lifted his head to look at her. Her eyes were wide open in shock and she trembled but it looked more like worry than pain. The branch was still clutched tightly in her palm and Robin reached out his hand to graze her rosy cheek.

"Yes," Marian panted and looked around. "Will it come back?"

"It shouldn't have attacked in the first place…" Robin mumbled and pulled Marian closer with his undamaged arm. "A lone wolf? It must be desperate to lash out on a prey that is so much bigger... Where did the horse go?"

A trail of churned snow led into the forest and they stared at it for a while. "What do we do?" Marian questioned. "Do we follow it?"

"We do not know how far we must go or where the tracks will lead us… It is better to continue to the lodge I think…" _I think_. But Robin wasn't sure. It would be far to the house, a long way to go with his injured arm and the deadly cold of Sherwood Forest around them. Losing the horse was a terrible blow, turning their cosy journey into a perilous trek through hostile settings, and even if the wolf gave up and chose not to follow them they might be in fatal danger. He knew that but he was not prepared to tell Marian about it. She was better in the blind. Marian looked at him then nodded in agreement.

"How is your arm?" she asked.

"Hardly more than a scratch," Robin grinned and tried not to cringe when Marian sceptically raised her eyebrow and touched his shoulder. "Maybe a bit sore..." he admitted reluctantly.

Marian took a grip around his waist and wiggled in under his healthy arm. "Lean on me," she said. It was a statement, not a suggestion, and Robin knew better than to argue with her. It was far too cold for a gentle forest stroll and they needed to get going.

The snow was knee deep and Robin and Marian threw up little fountains of ice crystals with every struggling step as they moved trough the unfriendly landscape. Side by side, hand in hand, the snow creaked below their shoes and the wool in their clothes rubbed together with rhythmic scratching sounds. There were puffs of smoke by their heavy, slightly laboured breaths and they walked in an air of deep concentration that left little room for conversation.

"Marian…" Robin staggered a bit, making himself free from the Marian's supporting grip.

"Robin, do not stop."

"I am tired… I need to rest. If we were followed then the wolf would have caught up with us by now."

Marian watched her love as he fell down on his knees in the snow, sat with his back curved against the infinite sky as his lungs heaved in panting breaths. She fell down beside him, put a hand on his back and rubbed it comforting as she watched the red spot on his shoulder.

"Remember when we used to make snow angels," Robin mumbled absently. "Yours were always horrible and you blamed it on the dress."

"Well, I remember when you used to put snow down my collar," Marian said and tugged the scarf she had around her neck.

"What are you doing?" He gave her a questioning look.

"We need to stop the bleeding."

"Do not take your scarf off you will be cold!"

"Robin, a scarf does little difference now. We will die if we don't find shelter soon and you are afraid I might catch a cold? Men…"

Robin smiled trough the dull pain. "I'm a nuisance," he joked.

"Yes," Marian agreed. "But one that I would not wish to live without. Now hold still."

He watched the determined look in her eyes, steady and forceful in a way that wouldn't be contradicted, and felt himself grin sheepishly by her words. In the end he was too much in love with those wilful eyes to deny them anything.

With a resigned sigh he shifted his weight to enable her to reach his arm more easily. The snow creaked and gave away as he moved. This biting cold glimmering powder that you couldn't form to snowballs or sculptures had always been Marian's favourite snow. Early in the morning there would be ice crystals clinging to every branch around Locksley decorating the trees in their pitiful nakedness. In the dawn of their love the young couple had walked in silence there, exchanging coy glances until he got bored and shovelled a fistful of snow down her dress. It wasn't easy to throw Marian off balance, rats or spiders didn't scare her, but the feeling of ice running down her spine never missed the spot. First there was her shrill scream piercing through the sound of his amused laughter, then her eyes got animated and her cheeks blushing with frustrated anger over the impossible boy by her side. In truth, while he had always been amused by teasing her, in time he started to find that fiery glare attractive beyond words. As sure as clockwork she would close the distance between them then in an attempt to retaliate by any means necessary. And so they tumbled around in the snow with her budding femininity hinted through the layers of cloth. Even though Robin cherished the bashful glances and gentle forest strolls, those wrestling games in the snow remained amongst the most erotic memories of his youth.

Robin realized that he was blushing wildly and let his gaze wander over Marian's focused figure. What had been a budding femininity was fully in bloom now, and he felt a sudden longing to close the distance between them and relive their youthful innocence with the maturity of age.

"There," Marian said. "It didn't hurt?"

Robin flinched and gave his shoulder a slightly puzzled look. Marian's green scarf had been tied tightly around the wound and he gave her a tender smile.

"I must have been distracted," he mumbled and gave her lips a soft kiss. "Come, we need to get going."

They raised with some effort from the crouched position, clinging to the branch still clutched in Marian's hand, and their stiff limbs screamed in agony when they started to wade through the deep snow once again. Robin's heart was pounding in his ears, a steady thud-thud-thud that made him feel nauseous, and he new it was beating like this more out of worry than love in this moment. The walk was slow and difficult and even though they hadn't come very far he felt tired from the blood loss and Marian trembled in a way that troubled him. She wasn't really dressed for this, none of them were, and from time to time the tiny trembles rippling trough her body were cut of by uncontrollable spastic twitches. Her body was freezing and tried desperately to keep itself warm and alive. Robin pulled his arm closer around Marian and fought the frown from his face. This would be a difficult journey under any circumstances and he did not want to worry her.

----

His head hurt.

The wolf had limped away in a panicking hobbling run when his attack failed. Something had hit him hard over his nose and eye - making him lose balance and feel dazed. Now he had stopped on a safe distance from the little group and yelped pathetically as he trampled around in a hesitant circle, not knowing where to go. He knew that he should leave this nasty food behind and find some easier prey. Yet he was so hungry… And he knew that he had slowed them down. The horse had disappeared into the night and one of the humans was hurt. He could smell the blood and it almost stripped him of every trace of sanity, his jaws watering and the hollow stomach growling.

If he just followed them and waited… Eventually they would be weakened and by then he could make another attack. One that succeeded. One that left him with a feast of fresh meat. Now that he had done half the work already he would be a fool to leave this food for someone else to munch on. Wouldn't he? The wolf stood and stared in the direction of the blood smell, then made a desperate decision.

Patience was indeed a virtue, the wolf would have mused had he been a cleverer animal. But as it was, he thought something wolf-like in the style of 'Food- Follow-Feast' instead.

He would simply have to stalk them and bide his time.

---

It was difficult to say exactly when they realized the wolf was still after them.

Robin had hoped that the animal would leave them alone but then there was a shadow in the corner of his eye and from time to time random snarling sounds broke through the serenity of the winter night. It was easy enough to explain it away in the beginning, thinking that it was his mind that played tricks on him. Yet bit by bit it became clear to Robin that it wasn't so, and that thought terrified him. His arm throbbed and hurt and he felt drained of his normal strength. It was a disaster to be followed by a desperate lone wolf when the surroundings alone threatened to kill them, and he was far too feeble to be able to protect Marian now. If anything he was a problem to her, a wounded man who had to share her strength, and even though his arm warmed her it also made her tired. His lack of strength drained hers.

Robin didn't say anything yet it was clear to him that Marian knew about the wolf as well. Whatever energy they had left in their stiff limbs they used to partly walk, partly tumble their way through the masses of white snow. It got impossible to deny the scruffy predator's existence as he made his way out from the shadows and watched them with starved anticipation. He got increasingly cocky in his desperation, flashed a ragged row of yellow teeth and snarled and growled, making small leaps at them to try the limits.

"The wolf is closing in on us," Robin mumbled between clenched teeth and threw a stick at the animal. It drew back for a moment but soon returned with the bony back hunched and tense.

"Yes I know."

"We are easy prey," Robin shook his head in worried frustration. "Eventually he will see that we are too tired to fight him and he will leap at the one that is weakest." He would leap at the one that_ seemed_ weakest, Robin silently added with a shock of panic bouncing through his body. It might be Robin, who was wounded, or it might be Marian who was smaller. _It might be Marian_.

"We can defend ourselves," Marian insisted.

"No, we cannot…" Robin drew a shivering breath. "Marian, listen to me now. Please do not be stubborn. You must leave me here. If you are alone," he trailed off as he took in a sharp breathe. " You have a chance to get away. Find the lodge, I will tell you how."

"No!"

"Marian, please!"

"Robin we walk together and if we fall then we fall together. Would you leave me behind?" She stared at him, waiting for an answer. "Tell me Robin," she insisted. "If you look me in the eyes and honestly tell me that you would leave me behind, then I will let you go."

"That is not fair."

"It is my terms."

"Then yes!" Robin exclaimed. "I would leave you!"

"You would leave me dying? In the snow?"

"Well," Robin squirmed. It was so difficult to lie to her! Yet he had to, if that was the only way he would have to. He could hear how fake the words sounded in his mouth, shallow noises like a very bad actor reciting lines he could not comprehend.

"Yes!" he burst out. "I-- I would leave you to die if it was the only chance for any of us to live. It is not more romantic to die together than it is to die alone!"

"But it is more romantic to_ live_ together than to live alone…" Marian tugged him forward, started to wade trough the deep snow again.

"Marian I said I would leave you!"

"I choose not to believe you. You lie very badly Robert of Locksley."

Robin felt a pang of bittersweet love as he gave in to her will. This was the one person who had to live, not for him or England or the King. She had to live because she had to live, because the light was brighter around her, because in this world of pain and horror she made the shadows shy away. He had to shield her and protect her - that feeling was so basic and primal that it defied all logic - and the thought of failing in that was unbearable. She made it difficult for him, difficult to love her but impossible to do anything else. He smiled in spite of the dire situation, pulled his arm tighter around her waist and savoured her closeness. The dull aching in his arm came in waves with every heartbeat, and he felt the pace fasten when she cocked her neck to meet his gaze. Smile. That warm, loving, trusting smile breaking all defences. To have a woman like that refusing to leave you behind was a rare bliss indeed, and one he had never dared to wish for in this life.

The house was a nothing but a shadow at first, merely a dark shape against the trees and the snow. Robin saw it when they came up on a height but wouldn't mention it as long as it might be nothing but the night playing a trick on them. They fell more than they walked now, struggled to rise as they waved the branch towards the wolf to keep him on a distance. It wasn't actually attacking, but it made little leaps at them like a cat playing with its food, and the mere cockiness of the animal made Robin furious. Still, the house might be merely a short trek away now and if it was then they would be saved._Saved_. Marian would live if they could just reach that distant destination. He fought the fear still rippling trough him and took a firmer grip around her. She was shaking so uncontrollably, hardly able to move properly, and he knew that must be a bad sign. With his shoulder throbbing and his legs only fused with adrenaline and pure willpower he struggled his way out of another pile of snow, tugging Marian up with him.

_They had to reach that house._

----

It was working. They walked slower and slower and the wolf felt a growing sense of triumph in his chest. He could afford to play a little, make a leap or two towards them and then shy away before the branch was swung at him. Humans were nasty animals, you never knew what to expect from them. As food goes they were too much fuss really. The surface was a nuisance to chew through in the first place - he knew that from gnawing on a frozen corpse some winters ago with his flock. But then again, beggars can't be choosers. That was another thing the wolf would have thought had he only been a cleverer animal. But as it was his mind was still rather stuck on the 'Food-Follow-Feast' line of thoughts.

----

Marian almost cried when she felt her leg disappear down into another heap of snow and bend helplessly under her. _It was so difficult_. She was not one to give in willingly but this cold was slowly defeating her spirit. She felt a chill run down her spine as she got a snapshot of a future that might be; two figures frozen in a final embrace, ice crystals like salt on their pallid skins, their lips still opened in the last whispering words. It might be 'I love you'. It might be 'I never loved you enough'. It might be 'farewell'. Their blood would be ice in their veins, no more smoke from their open mouths. Breathe no more. Throb no more. Love no more.

Then she heard the growling of the wolf so close by it must be simply biding its time, and realized that they wouldn't be left alone in their final sleep. For some reason that thought made her feel sick, the notion that a ragged wolf would gnaw on the strong arm that lay over her shoulders as if it was any random corpse. It was an irony in the fact that he had begged her to let him go. Without his body heat she would be frozen stiff by now, she merely walked because he walked and wouldn't let her go.

Clouds had started to gather in the sky, hiding the stars and the pallid moon, and big, fluffy flakes danced down around them. Perhaps Robin spoke to her still, she knew he was there because her numb body hurt when it bumbled into his, but the world seemed distant like a star. Finally she let her knees fold down into the snow, allowed her trembling muscles relax and cocked her head to the sky. The surroundings seemed breathtakingly beautiful to her dulled mind, twirling white flowers against an endless dark sky. Somewhere in the periphery Robin's voice called out to her, tugged on her attention, and then her vision became blurred and her head wobbled from side to side in a way that made her senses slowly return to see what was going on.

"..ian, Marian, Marian!!!" Robin was shaking her violently, his eyes big and terrified in the serene setting.

"Mmm," she said.

"Marian where were you?!" he exclaimed. "I tried to talk to you but you didn't answer! Don't even not answer me again Marian!"

Marian felt Robin's arms close around her, cradling her desperately, and she forced herself to return to the world. She planted a kiss on his cheek and realized that it tasted salty like the sea.

"Robin we are going to die here," she said.

"No! We won't! There is a house! Marian, there is a house!"

"What house?" Marian slurred puzzled.

"I should have let you keep that scarf," Robin complained. His voice sounded trembling and thick, breaking off as he talked. "I saw a house, trust me! You need to stand Marian. Please do it for me, just a bit longer," he pleaded. "If I can do it with my wound then you can too! You're strong."

"It's so cold."

"My Marian," Robin forced a smile and pulled her up. He staggered as he felt her weight on his chest; "always one to state the obvious."

"Only when it appears to pass you by."

Robin grinned and turned her head so that she faced east, resting his chin oh her head. "Look," he said and pointed to a dark shape hinting behind the snow flakes. "If that is not a house then I will eat my hood."

"If that is not a house then that wolf will eat your hood," Marian pointed out but it was impossible to hide the smile in her voice. She was frozen to the bone and he was tired by the blood loss but that was definitely a house. Then there was a snarl from the wolf and they started to move again. Marian had a feeling Robin must have fought the animal off somehow when she fell but it was too animated by the successful chase to stay away for long.

It was easier to raise when there was an end to their labour, and when even though they fell they rose with more vigour. Just a moment, then there would be heat and comfort. Finally there was wood beneath Marian's trembling hands and she reached for the handle. She felt Robin's breath against her neck, trembling and fast but there was a smile, a wild grin on his lips that she felt even though she couldn't see it. The hand around her waist clenched the cloth in her dress and then the door disappeared, swung open and let them tumble in. She caught a glimpse of the wolf leaping at them but threw the door shut before it reached them and then Robin's arms were around her without her really knowing how he got that close. He pulled her in and gave her a victory kiss, the kind of kiss that starts and breaks time and again in never-ending smiles and never really ends. She was still shaking wildly yet reality was returning around her. _Safe_. She was with Robin in a house and safe from the deadly cold winter night. The wolf would have to go hungry tonight.

---

The wolf stared at the door. He had been walking in circles around the house but there didn't seem to be a way in. The food was in there, he could still smell it, or perhaps that was just the faint remnants of their tracks in the snow. He should have known this was too god to be true.

With a dejected howl the lone wolf whined about his lot in life and paced a couple of final turns around the house just to make sure, before he gave up and left. He was starving still, buried his nose in the snow and searched for something, anything, to enable him to pull through another hungry night. He found a twig and shut the menacing jaws around it, then wandered on. And in the blistering winter night there was still a wolf stalking through Sherwood Forest.


	2. A wolf's tail

Come Winter Time

Part 2: A Wolf's tail

Once he started Robin found it very difficult to stop kissing her. It was getting rather ridiculous if you allowed yourself to be honest about it, but those cool lips were so soft and sweet against his and every time he broke off she pulled him back in by just being there. Then she started to smile and laugh and be so generally irresistible that he finally backed off just to regain some of his sanity.

His shoulder still ached and his limbs trembled by the cold yet his body seemed to find itself rather more preoccupied with the relative closeness of his Marian. His heart was throbbing hard and fast like it tried to rush the blood in his veins, forcing it to run south before his mind started to think things through. It was impossible to stop smiling so he grinned like a fool when he moved over to the hearth to light a fire, kneeling down on the hard floor. There was a familiar knocking sound as he fumbled with a piece of flint and a fire-steel and he could feel Marian's eyes in his back, watching him intensely. It made the chore of lighting a fire just so much harder. He tried not to feel embarrassed when he dropped the flint into the ash and had to rummage through the logs and coal to pick it up again.

"Slippery little thing," he mumbled.

"What, the stone?"

"Well, I think it is a bit worn out," he explained in the manner of men of all times that have refused to acknowledge their difficulties in technical matters. He could almost hear her rolling her eyes at him.

"Do you need help?"

"No, no I just need to--" He let his voice trail off into an inaudible murmur and frowned as if he was occupied with something requiring his entire concentration. The problem wasn't really the piece of flint, it was the stiff hands that shook and trembled and the brain that refused to focus on anything else than Marian's presence. It was an annoying but inescapable fact that he only ever feared his own performance with her, in the times when he needed his cheeky cockiness the most. The couple of rare occasions that they had broken through the social limits of their relationship were the most vulnerable moments in Robin's life; intense, exhilarating and terrifying tiny pieces of heaven. Obviously it was rather embarrassing that he thought of Marian's closeness as heaven so he kept that sentimental detail to himself.

There were finally sparkles from the fire-iron and the touchwood flared up within moments, dancing soft flames licking and scorching the logs in the hearth. Robin turned a triumphant grin in Marian's direction and nearly tumbled into the fire place when their eyes met. She stood in the middle of the room where he had left her, serene but intense and her posture almost regal under the knee long cloak. It took Robin aback to realise that she was studying him with open curiosity, the blue eyes probing his body in unabashed and avid attention. It was difficult to know what went on behind those blue eyes, what thoughts occupied her mind as she watched him. The sheer serenity of her demeanour scared him a little - it made her seem distant and collected while he was loosing every trace of self-control. He licked his lips, gave her a cheeky grin to hide his insecurity and stood up to face her.

"It will be warmer soon," he smiled as Marian drew a trembling breath and breathed out another cloud into the chilled air. Her eyes were nearly black in the faint light from the fireplace, the big pupils surrounded only by a pale blue halo and little stains of light danced like fireflies in the darkness. He tucked in a lock of hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek to give her another kiss, soft and tantalizing as in lingered on. She wiggled in her hands under his jumper and rested her palms on his chest, clenching her fingers around the rough linen in his undershirt. Robin stifled a low moan as he felt his body react to her touch and he restrained the impulse to throw her down onto the bed and get rid on the mass of irritating clothes that lay between them.

"Robin," Marian breathed into his mouth.

"Hmmm?"

"Robin-- your sword," she murmured. "It is hard."

Robin flinched and gave his love a bewildered look shifting between embarrassed anticipation and suspicious confusion. She seemed serious, although the big blue eyes were a bit dim and dazed. Yet he had a feeling that his brain was suffering from the lack of blood and didn't quite follow the conversation. "What?" he stammered "My _sword_?"

"Yes, your sword," Marian repeated with a tad irritation in her voice. She pulled a way a bit and lowered her eyes to about waist level and Robin swallowed hard. "It is pressing against my leg, take it off!"

"Oh? Oh!" Robin grinned nervously. "_That_ sword! Sorry--"

"Well, what sword did you think I meant?"

"Nothing! It's just that in the king's guard when you said sword you sometimes meant," Robin grinned and tilted his head innocently, "_you know_! And you said it was--" He blushed and bit down hard on his lip before he finished the sentence.

"But surely you wouldn't expect _me_ to make such innuendos?" Marian insisted with a mischievous tingle in her eyes. She shifted her weight ever so slightly in Robin's arms and he almost swallowed his tongue when he felt her brush against the strained laces on his pants. Surely she didn't do that on purpose? _Surely_? He cleared his throat and took a step back, but instead of regaining a safe distance it made her tumble into his arms and press her entire mass of soft alluring femininity against him. She was far to close for Robin to feel comfortable, whatever self-control he had left hung on a thread thin like silk but not quite as strong. He winced and took his arms from her waist, putting them gently on her shoulders while remaining stiff and tense like one of Sherwood's trees.

Marian still trembled from the cold and crawled closer to Robin's chest, pushing her forehead up against his cheek as if she tried to force him into cradling her.

"Robin," she mumbled. "Please don't pull away."

"I didn't!"

"Yes, you did," Marian sighed and turned to look him in the eyes. "You are scared stiff--" She shut her eyes and smiled at the choice of word. "I mean, you are terrified to be inappropriate with me. But what does that matter now?"

"It matters," Robin insisted and moved his hands around her neck.

"Why? Because I am a lady? Robin, I would forgive you anything and yet you chose hide from me whenever you feel vulnerable. I wish you weren't so afraid of me."

"I am not afraid of you."

"Yes you are!" She watched him silently for a while, her trembling breath a bit laboured and her eyebrows cocked as if she was challenging him. "Would you lie with me?"

"Marian!"

"Well it wouldn't be the first time. Every time we say it's the last time yet this is all a charade. You want to do right by me but the limits always break when we push them, and then we feel ashamed and promise never to push so hard again---"

"Marian, we do not have this conversation!"

"Yes we do! For once I would like to love you because I choose to, not because I cannot choose not to!" She drew some shivering breaths to calm herself and Robin grazed her cheek with his thumb, caressing the brown curls that were damp from melting snowflakes. "Please," she smiled faintly, almost pleadingly. "Be with me. All of you - every flaw, Robin, and every fear. Not who you think I want you to be. Just Robin. I can handle it."

"But perhaps I cannot," Robin mumbled. It was difficult not to be captured by the plain sincerity in her way to talk to him, and he felt a moment of immense pride over this woman who insisted on loving him. How could he deny her anything? He wanted her so much it ached and yet she felt she had to beg him to be with her, as if he was granting her a favour.

Marian smiled and took his hand in hers. "Come," she wheedled. "Let me take a better look at that nasty bite at least."

He followed her obediently to the bed, still a bit too dazed and intoxicated to think in a straight line. The air was slowly warming up by the fire and the skin on his thighs was itching as the heat came back. He sat down and Marian stood in front of him, starting to tug the scarf that was tied around his shoulder. Robin shuffled away her cloak and let his hands rest on her waist, running his palms slowly up and down the gentle curve while studying her cautiously. It hurt a bit to move his arm but not more than he could live with and he realised that Marian had stopped what she was doing and rested her hands against his shoulders, clenching them into two loose fists around the cloth of his jumper. He let his eyes meet hers briefly, giving her a warm tender smile. Then he followed her neck down to the collarbones that heaved with every deep breath, further down over the full breasts and down to her abdomen where he knew she still had a scar from Sir Guy's dagger. She seemed tense but with anticipation and lust rather than nervousness, and she moved one of her hands to the back of his head to play with the soft neck curls.

Robin took a firmer grip around Marian's waist and stoked her up to the side of her soft breasts, then down around her back until he held the back of her thighs and gave them a decisive tug. She gave out a short hoarse laughter as she lost balance and tumbled down on him, gripping around his neck as he lifted her gently. Finally she sat straddling his legs and he could feel her weight heavy against his body, two people shivering by lust rather than cold and two hearts beating nervously. He hardly touched her at first, only grazed the cloth with his fingers and let her take the lead. He quite liked to do that, enjoyed to see the hunger in her as she gripped his hair and pulled him in for a kiss. It started soft, a bit restrained before she deepened it and pushed her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer. He gave out a content sigh and grinned at her when she broke the kiss for air, then watched her breathing heavily against his neck for a couple of moments.

"You know you kiss very well Marian," he coaxed and gave her ear a tug with his teeth. "I wonder- did you get a lot of practice when I was away?"

"I do not think you would wish to know the answer to that."

Robin felt a faint jolt of guilty jealousy hitting against the wall of lust and raw craving but found it rather easy to push away. He didn't mind much if she fumbled around a little with some clueless nobleman years ago as long as it never happened again. "Was it Bernard of Ashton?" he grinned and found a spot under her ear where he started kiss her gingerly.

Marian giggled a little. "Oh Bernard was after me like a lovesick puppy," she whispered to his ear, her voice thick and a bit strained. "And he kissed much the same way."

Robin frowned, pulled his arms tightly around her waist, kissing her harder and gently nibbling the sensitive skin. "Really?" he growled. "How?"

Marian smiled mischievously and pulled out her tongue, trailing it along his neck. "Like this," she mumbled and he moaned and clenched his hands around the cloth of her dress. The image of the fool that was Bernard of Ashton licking his Marian made its way into his head, even though he knew she was only teasing him, and he sucked on to her skin hard enough to leave a deep red mark. Jealousy had the power to make Robin excessively possessive, and it made the situation all the more tantalizing to know that she probably knew that it was so and played on that knowledge.

Robin moved one hand up to Marian's neck and untied the cloak, discarding it on the floor. The room was getting warm and smelled of wet wool, smoke and a trace of lust that hung heavy in the air between them. He let the other hand move down over her body, stroking her all the way down along her thigh and pulling up the skirt so that he had her knee under his palm. She wore breeches under the dress, as well as an undershirt, and he sighed a bit over the frustrating fact that women wore altogether too much clothes in the winter. With a grin he let his hands disappear under the masses of skirts and pulled her closer with a jerk to the belt, feeling her balance shift until her abdomen was pressed tightly to his stomach.

"Your shoulder doesn't hurt?" she asked between the kisses.

"Mmm." It did hurt, but it was a dull pain that drowned in the sheer mass of more powerful sensations. It was the fresh crisp feeling of her skin against his lips, the warm tingling that slowly grew to a force to be reckoned with inside him, the pounding blood that tuned every inch on his body into desire. His entire being was aching for her, caring very little for the feeble pain in his shoulder, and it sent little shocks trough him every time she kissed him back or responded to his touches. Then he felt a push, forceful enough to rip him from her heat and make him fall down with his back flat against the bed. Marian held a hand to his chest and leaned down to kiss him before she disappeared up again, and Robin gave her a puzzled look. Then with slow, almost floating movements she started to undo her dress. Robin hardly breathed, simply watched and forced himself not to pull her down and rip than stupid dress to pieces. She was so slow it hurt, unlaced the dress it bit by bit while touching herself in the process. She did it in an absentminded way that seemed accidental even though the occasional mischievous glance in his direction made him think it probably wasn't. And it was driving him senseless.

The soft yellow glow from the fire made shadow's dance on her golden features as she finally pulled the dress over her head and lay herself down over him. He followed the movement with his hands, rested then on her back beneath the undershirt and touched and touched the soft skin.

Marian had little goose bumps all over her body and her breasts seemed fuller with the heightened sensation, pressed to his chest under the shirt. She had never understood his fascination with them but still enjoyed the power they had over him. They seemed to enchant the young man and now he let his hands move forward under her shirt until he cupped them gently. She sighed a little at the feeling of his rough hands against her sensitive skin, then bit into his neck to stifle a low moan from escaping her lips. It was such an intoxicating contrast between the cold outside and her skin that remained a bit chilled, and the glow from the fire place and Robin's eager touches. He pulled the shirt over her head and turned her over on her back, the wool of the bedclothes rougher but not unpleasant against her bare back. Then he took his own jumper and shirt and discarded them with the rest of the clothes. He leaned most of his weight on his healthy arm, his skin against hers, his stomach against her stomach, his arm against her breast, and briefly his scar against her scar. The tissue was wrinkled and ugly there over the ribs, and she knew that he hated when she watched it and touched it. Perhaps it was less about vanity and more about what it represented. A journey to a land so far away, leaving her behind and killing all those people, lost innocence and a mistake that cost more than it should be allowed. It was not a part of himself that he was proud of, a chapter of his life story the he would prefer to keep to himself. She moved her hand to the scar and caressed it gently, held her hand there even though he tensed, squirmed uncomfortably and tried to shy away.

"All of you, Robin," she mumbled, and he slowed down and let her touch him. He did it reluctantly first, then with something like relief that seemed to take him by surprise. She thought she saw a hint of gratitude in those eyes that were so endlessly sad yet keen with a passion that seemed almost feverish in his wish to please her. He gave her a number of sucking kisses on the mouth then moved down, his stubble rough against her skin but the lips soft and wet. He teased her, stroked her body with hungry movements and planted kisses along her arms, down her stomach, all over her collarbones and neck, sucked and nibbled on her breasts and all the way down to the waistband. There was something in his way to go about this that was so endearing, an almost desperate longing and he kissed and touched her like he couldn't get enough. Everywhere he went her skin caught fire, became so sensitive it nearly ached, tingled and screamed for him to come back. He had his healthy arm stroking the inside on her thigh, over her pants, and she almost screamed out loud when he moved it up and then under until her thigh lay pressed flat against his shoulder. The arm that lay around her leg was grabbing the waistband of her trousers and he remained like that for a while, resting his head between her breasts as he breathed heavily. She gave him a warm reassuring smile, ruffling his bangs with her fingers, and savoured the feeling of his body so tightly against hers. She could feel his heart beating wildly against her stomach and the trembling forced breaths went through him like waves. His face looked a bit flushed and dazed, the eyes black with lust and his hair a chaotic mess on his head.

After a while he moved, let her leg fall back down and wiggled his way up to eyelevel. He held her eyes firmly locked to his while giving her a long lingering kiss on the lips and fumbled with her belt and the lace in her trousers. She had already arched her body to his hand in anticipation when the calloused but tender fingers made their way under the cloth and the touch made her give out a sharp gasp. She tensed, pulled up her knees and put a hand his, felt it move as it teased and caressed her far beyond any sense of self-control. Robin had an expression of wonder, as if her reaction put a spell over him, and his eyes were dazed and a bit dim under heavy eyelids. The cheeky grin grew smug and a little bit to pleased with himself so she pulled him down for a kiss, deep and savage with a handful of his curls gripped in her fist. It became a game to gain the upper hand, the muscles in his arm tensed as he eased it further down and she gave out an involuntary yelp when she felt his fingers inside her, playing and pushing. She gave his shoulder a little bite, hard enough to drive trough the pleasure but not so hard it hurt him and he moaned and buried his head in her neck. She let her hands trail down over his body, felt every muscle under the slightly damp skin that was glazed with sweat from the growing heat and desire.

Her hands were on his belt buckle. He could feel them tug and pull and jerk it open, the small hands determined and he froze as he felt her grip around him soft but resolute. It was too much, he was far too aroused to take that touch without coming undone before her, so he gave her body a trail of kisses and pulled back.

"Robin?"

"Hush." Her skin tasted salt and her breathing got faster and a bit ragged when he pulled down her breeches and kneeled between her legs. She lay naked before him and he sat a while simply studying every curve, the flushed face surrounded by a halo of brown curls, the body that heaved with sharp fast breaths. He still had his fingers inside her, grazed her absently with his thumb while he studied her. His body was trembling with anticipation, ached to be one with her, but he restrained the urge, lifted her knee with his free hand and gave her a row of wet sucking kisses all the way down her inner thigh. She was practically screaming already, _begging him_ though she may not know for what.

Rough stubble against soft, sensitive skin, then the wet lips and tongue and the silky bangs stroking against her leg. She stifled another scream, grabbed his hair with one hand and bit down on the other. He mind was floating, disappearing into waves of dizzy pleasure that grew steadily towards their culmination, and then her back arched up and every trace control over her body disappeared in the peaks. She knew she screamed and pulled Robin back up, had a vague comprehension of him grinning at her then kissing her in fast wet pecks over her face and throat and breast. When it faded and a pulsating sense of self slowly reappeared she threw him down on his back, pulled down what was left of his clothes and rested her forehead to his only for a moment to catch her breath. She gave him a curious look, studied the strong body and gave his slightly puzzled face a deep kiss before she eased herself up and straddled him. Her determination seemed to surprise him a bit, he gripped around her hips as they sunk down over him and she gasped a little by the intense feeling of intimacy as he filled her.

He moved to meet her as she rocked - a soft but savage dance to the beat of their hearts and the breaths that came in gasping thrusts. They upped the pace until he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her down under him, his body heavy against her as he kissed her and breathed her name again and again with every push. It drove her up against her peak again, he must have realised it because he gave her time, stopped to caress her. She felt her flesh get animated under his fingers, then when he moved every thrust was a little bit closer until they clung to each other. Wave after wave ripped and tore trough her body, blinded her into a dazzled mist where there was nothing but him and her. Their bodies froze, his face buried in her neck, her nails dug into his curved back and for some time they lay like that without breathing or daring to move for the moment to pass.

Finally they returned, their breaths came back and his body became limp over hers. He lay down to rest by her side and they remained like that, limbs still entangled, bodies still merged, side by side in this refuge in the forest. The fire was glowing in the hearth and outside big snowflakes still danced against the deep blue sky. Robin smiled, Marian could feel his eyelashes tickle against her skin and the lips pulled into a wide grin. He tugged out the blanked from under them and made a little cocoon around their entangled bodies.

"We could rest like this to the summer," he mumbled when his voice came back, still hoarse and a bit ragged. "Hibernate like the bears and hedgehogs--"

"But who would feed the poor? Who would fight the sheriff?"

Robin sighed and opened his eyes to hers. "Sometimes I wish it didn't have to be me," he murmured against her lips and she gave him a sad smile, moving a hand to rest comforting on his neck.

"Remember Christmas in Locksley," he continued after a while and he could feel Marian's smile rather than he saw it. She hummed at him, for a moment lost in their shared memories. "I kissed you first time during Christmastide," he continued.

"I am pretty sure it was I that kissed you," Marian corrected him. "It was the Christmas after our fathers had decided to promise us to each other, and you had started to fill your head with al those grand romantic ideas… You treated me like a lady from the ballads. It was driving me crazy!"

"You liked that did you?" Robin smirked.

"Robin you were horrible!" Marian laughed and Robin could feel himself blush with embarrassment. He had been horrible, but he had rather hoped she hadn't noticed, or at least blissfully forgotten all those fancy, haughty words. Then she pushed herself closer and gave him a kiss, her lips cold but her breath warm against his jaw. "It doesn't matter. I loved you anyway. Still do, the fool I am."

He breathed out a short soft laughter and she smiled at him tenderly. Then they rested like that in the drowsy aftermath, Robin almost asleep under Marian's absentminded caresses.

"Marian," he finally said, his voice slurred as if he was falling asleep. Marian she gave him a quizzical look. "You do know that I love you too?"

"Yes," she smiled.

"It's just that I wanted to make sure you know."

"I do know," she reassured him before she drifted off into a deep, exhausted slumber. She slept when he stirred, heaved himself up and steadied himself on his healthy arm to watch her. She slept past the warm slightly sad smile on his lover's lips as he studied the chest that moved with serene breaths and soft snores. She slept when he softly mumbled all the reasons to why he loved her into her ear, and she only stirred for a second when he moved to put more wood on the fire. When she finally woke the bluish light of the morning had transformed the lodge around them, and by then Robin was deep in sleep, rewinding and reliving every second of the night time and time again.

_Fin _


End file.
